PS 3513 
.054 P6 
1 1915 
Copy 1 



POEMS ^"^ 

Those who Work 
and Hope 

and Love 





By 



Emma Eugenie Goodwin 



Poems 

For those who Work and 
Hope and Love 



by 
Emma Eugenie Goodwin 



New York 
1915 






Copyright, 1915, by 
Emma Eugenie Goodwin 



M 26 1915 
^Cl,A393413 



TO MY BROTHERS 

This I have fashioned of my thought 

With heart sincere I offer you,— 

You, too, have known youth's prescient instinct 

O'er clouded by life's late experience,— 

You, too, have seen your dream-world fade away 

When grim reality's dark shadow intervened,— 

You, too, have felt the race-old pang of disappointment, 

And the keen edge of sorrow has cleft your quivering heart; 

But the grateful joys of human kindness have touched you, 

Healing many a hurt. 

While the good earth has yielded beauty 

And the rare zest of living, 

And though each soul stands quite alone 

Upon the brink of mystery, we still believe 

There is one life of which we are a part, 

One love supreme which we may take and give, 

And in this common round of earthly days 

It serves us well to work and hope and love, 

For we are brothers, all. 



C 1 3 



"WHILE YE MAY" 

A traveler hastened on his way 
To do his task ere close of day, 
The flowers that grew with perfume sweet 
Were trampled 'neath his hurrying feet, 
''Another time I '11 gather flowers," 
He thought, "And joy in earth's bright hours." 

Another time the traveler came. 

The path no longer seemed the same. 

The winter snow had fallen fast. 

The flowers were dead, the summer past, 

So, empty-handed on his way 

The traveler fared at close of day. 



[2] 



THE SERVICE OPPORTUNE 

Though miles on miles of timbers wait 
The builder's skilful hands, 

With tons on tons of steel to build 
Strong bridges in all lands, 

The fallen tree that haply spanned 
The angry, storm-swelled stream 

And bridged our way to safety- 
Its value, who shall dream ? 



Ca] 



LIFE'S ALCHEMY 

We bruise the flowers to win their perfume sweet, 
We crush the grapes to gain the wine they hold, 

Within the fiery furnace thrust the ore 

To clear the worthless dross from precious gold. 

Men toil in pain that patience may abide, 

Search through dark grief that faith's pure light may shine, 
Golgotha share— life's sacrifice supreme— 

Thus to unfold their attributes divine. 



1:43 



NAGANYA'S GEMS 

Naganya had a wondrous gem 
Blood red with heart of gold, 

It granted him the gift of power, 
As now in days of old. 

To buy men's homage, women's grace, 

And win him wealth and fame and place. 

Naganya sought his mighty gods 

Within the temple's shade, 
Thrilled with the fire of sacrifice. 

Devout, he knelt and prayed. 
Then in his idol's diadem 
He placed the great, red, gleaming gem. 

Alone beside the restless sea 

Naganya found retreat. 
Of earth's rich favors his were few; 

The waters touched his feet. 
When, lo ! upon the wave's release 
There lay the pure white pearl of peace. 



[53 



THE ULTIMATE 

"Ah! strange the chances that our lives befall, 

That heaven keeps back, as heaven knows why, 
It often keeps from mortals one and all, 
The great heart-wish for which we yearn and sigh." 

Thus thought I, questioning, years agone. 

The while my eager feet sped on 

To reach hope's beacon flashing bright 

On hills afar. The chosen height 

I missed, and in its stead a wall 

Of failure mocked my prayer, and all 

That I had sought, most worthy deemed. 

Was still denied; strife useless seemed 

And yet an innate courage held 

Me to the path by fate compelled 

Till faith from out life's tangle wrought 

These hopeful truths— the answer sought: 

We miss our chosen way to higher find. 

We lose our good that heaven may send its best, 

Empty our hands— that when God's moment comes 
We may have room to hold the things more blest. 



Ce] 



IN HIS NAME 

The church was thronged with people, 

The prince of wealth was there 
To give a costly service 

Of silver rich and rare, 
To celebrate with fit display 

The Supper of Our Lord. 
The great throng voiced his praises, 

They lauded him indeed, 
Who gave the thing he needed not 

To those who did not need. 

The night was bleak and dreary 

When to the humble stead 
A beggar came, ill-clad and cold. 

To ask a crust of bread ; 
The woman gave of that she had. 

Though low her scanty store, 
And no one praised her action— 

Unless the angels heed— 
Who gave of her necessity 

To one of greater need. 



171 



THE QUEST 

A man went forth upon the way of life 

And this defiance against falsehood hurled: 
'Truth is, and truth the earnest soul shall find!" 
Then searched the treasure-places of the world. 

Through halls of science patiently he passed 
To find the marvels in their endless store, 

The morrow's revelations making naught 
His precious gleanings of the day before. 

The tomes philosophy had written large 
With claims of that the minds of men desire. 

Were colored by the age and circumstance, 
And served to light anew hope's funeral pyre. 

The wondrous garden love had planted, sweet 
With blossoms fair to longing human eyes, 

Was shared by faithless, selfish hearts that hid 
Beneath their beauty thorns of living lies. 

Religion, pointing hopeful spires to heaven, 
Won the pure tribute of his prayerful thought. 

To change the image of Eternal Good 

He found man's feeble will had blindly wrought. 

At length, aweary of the fruitless quest. 

He sought his own soul's light in silence vast 

Where dwelt the consciousness of God within— 
And lo ! the face of truth revealed at last. 

C83 



GRANT ME A FRIEND 

Gold from the land of Ophir, 

And gems from the Orient, 
The wealth for which earth's toiling ones 

Their long, hard days have spent; 

Fame that may seem undying, 

And power that may stem fate's tide- 
But grant, O God, one faithful friend, 

Though I have naught beside! 



CQ] 



EYES THAT BELIEVE IN ME 

Count all beauty and all treasure 
Ever gleaned from land and sea, 

I shall find a richer measure 
In the eyes that believe in me. 

In the times of stress and sorrow, 
Sick though soul and body be, 

I shall life's true healing borrow 
From the eyes that believe in me. 

Though the world's opinion flout me. 
Scorn and blame my portion be, 

Clearly through the clouds about me 
Look the eyes that believe in me. 

Fame may come with laurels golden. 
Fortune smile with bounty free, 

All life's glories new or olden. 
Dwell in eyes that believe in me. 

Where they wait, with kindness beaming, 
Pray I may not fail to see— 

Their pure faith my soul redeeming— 
Those dear eyes that believe in me. 



1:103 



BETWEEN US TWO 

If you were in the cold without 
Where wintry winds were blowing, 

I could not bear my fireside warmth 
With cheerful brightness glowing. 

Had I the gifts of all the world, 
Were fortune in my keeping, 

They could not bring one joy if you 
Sat by the wayside weeping. 

If shadows fall across your way, 
On mine their darkness lingers; 

If discord yours, my harp of life 
I press with trembling fingers. 

If joy and peace abide with you. 
My heart forgets its sorrow ; 

If blessings come for you to-day, 
I, patient, wait the morrow. 



[ll] 



THE FAITH OF LOVE 

O sing with me the joy of love, 

To the longing human heart, 
The radiant light, the enraptured sight, 

That sets us as gods apart. 

And praise with me the worth of love. 

In its purpose strong and true. 
That assures the best of this world's behest, 

In our struggling life's review. 

And wait with me the hope of love. 
Through the mists of earthly pain 

That chill the heart in the days apart, 
Till we hold our loved again. 

And know with me the peace of love, 
'Midst the storm of doubts and fears, 

When a gentle hand, and, "I understand," 
Bring the calm that dries our tears. 

Then keep with me the faith of love. 

On that last relentless day, 
When we bow the head o'er our dear and dead, 
"For our love still lives," we say. 



1:123 



INSTINCT 

Through trackless air the homing bird 

Straight wings its onward flight, 
Safe in its instinct of the way, 
Through stress of storm or veering wind 

Or gloom of falling night. 

Through life's strange, devious ways we grope, 

Though baffled and alone, 
Sure in our soul's unswerving faith, 
That somewhere in God's universe 

A path leads to our own. 



c:i33 



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